Sword Art Online - Looming Coffin
by Chewbag
Summary: A side story where the main cast of SAO don't exist and three friends try to beat the game and stand against a murderous guild, Laughing Coffin. This series has no timetables or may not finish due to personal life. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!


Atsuto's pale blue eyes slowly opened. He brought his hands up to his eyes and rubbed them, feeling as if he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. Slowly he sat up in his bed, the white sheets covering his bottom half. He was in his room, the floors covered in clothes, cans of cola, energy drinks and assorted snacks. A TV was in the corner opposite his bed and had the newest consoles lying on shelves below it. The curtains were drawn, keeping the room dark apart from a lone sliver of light peeking from below it. On the dresser beside him he picked up his phone, a small black device and read the time as 12:36pm on November 5th, 2022. Atsuto got up from his bed and got dressed into a simple black shirt and jeans in the mirror. Atsuto was a very skinny person, due to his picky eating habits. He had black hair which was almost always messy and his blue eyes gave off a sense of calmness. He lived in a house in Tokyo, being roommates with his two friends Aika and Daisuke while they all went to college. Once he was satisfied, he went downstairs, the wooden floor softly creaking beneath him. He walked into the kitchen area, a small space with only a few cupboards an oven and a microwave. Dishes were stacked high on the counter next to the oventop, covered with the remains of meals. He walked into the dining room and at the table sat Aika and Daisuke, eating their breakfast. Daisuke turned to him and joked "Ahh, the mighty dragon finally leaves it's den!" Daisuke was muscular, from many hours of training in martial arts. He had a handsome face, with emerald-green eyes, neatly combed ink black hair and a smile that could melt stone. Atsuto was just astounded there weren't girls breaking the door down for him at this point. Daisuke was also intelligent, getting top grades in most of the classes he took. Aika then turned in her chair to him and said "More like the lazy bum. You need to sleep better, honestly." Aika was a short girl with flowing blonde hair. She was slim and had soft features to her face. Her hazel eyes always had a kind of fire behind them, and so did her personality. Atsuto sat down and groggily replied "Good morning to you too guys."

"It's not our fault you refuse to wake up at a decent hour." snapped Aika, yawning.

"Guys please it's been less than five minutes already..." moaned Daisuke who normally had to keep Aika and Atsuto in check. "Besides, I have some good news that you may want to hear."

"Fine. Go ahead." Sleepily said Aika.

"Well looks like _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed today..." muttered Atsuto, rolling his eyes.

"Well at least _I_ woke up today!" retorted Aika, scowling at him. Daisuke cleared his throat and they stopped, sometimes shooting a glare at each other.

"So" said Daisuke, clapping his hands together "Today I got all our savings together and bought these!" He reached into a plastic bag beside him and pulled out three identical plastic cases. From behind they had no title but Atsuto knew what game this was, a smile reaching from ear to ear on his face "Daisuke, there's no way!" Aika was also as eager, all trace of tiredness gone as she exclaimed "You got Sword Art Online on it's first day of release?! How?!"

"Well the guy at the counter was an old friend of mine and he owed me a few favours so he kept some copies back for us!" They all bought the NerveGear once it had released but what they were all waiting for was this game- Sword Art Online! The flagship for the new age of gaming and the first supposed big hit full dive game! Daisuke put them on the table and asked "How about we do our first dive together, tonight?" Aika squealed and said "Is that even a question?! Of course!"

"I'd second that in a heartbeat!" agreed Atsuto, admiring the case.

"Then it's settled!" Said Daisuke smiling "Tonight we prepare for the best night of our lives!"

Sadly, this would be the worst night of thier lives.


End file.
